Intrinsic to the belief in a supernatural power and the worshiping of one, are a series of inevitable negative consequences that impact individuals and society. Religion requires a person to accept as true and have faith in a certain belief system. Blind faith equals in most cases unrestricted deference and obedience, which is not healthy. I do not believe that there is any merit in looking at religion from the "growth" perspective; Religion plays out in too many negative ways in the life of its followers as well as society as a whole.
Religious riots and "holy wars" have been going on since the beginning of recorded history, and they do not seem to go away in our "enlightened" century. Conflicts between religious groups inhabiting the same geographical areas are everyday news (e.g., Catholics and Protestants in Ireland, Serbs and Muslims in Yugoslavia, or Palestinians and Jews in Israel). But these holy wars are not only taking place by foreign people in foreign lands but today the American people are engaged in a war in which, the opposition is fueled by the belief that the American and western way of life is fundamentally bad.
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A portrait of Karl Marx.This current war fought has and is being fought by members of the Muslim community to protect and honor their religion; they believe they are defending the power of Allah. Their religious mindset is the inspiration for them to fight; and because religion is their motivation they have started a holy war. This holy war has ruined the lives of many people in this world. The New York Times quotes Sayed Muhammad Hussain Hashimi, as saying the following about the devastation of his village by the Taliban,"Look at Bamian now. War has left people with barely a space to live in, barely a building that has...